For whatever reason, I've grown up and lived in a world without great trauma. My childhood heartbreaks involved the death of adopted animals...and attending school (as I preferred to run wild on the farm). Adolescents carried typical conflicts with high emotions and finding oneself... the tornado tearing apart my beloved farm defined a great deal of my teenage years. Troubles in early adult life were mostly self inflicted.. aside from the death of grandparents. And now, current adult life finds me settling inward battles, finding stability. All in all.. pain, sorrow, and suffering find themselves strangers.. though they feel surprisingly familiar.
Of course, a variety of factors contribute to this relatively pain free existence, not the least of which is growing up in a rural area surrounded by supportive family and friends. A picture comes to mind when searching for a factor..
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.. a 5 year old girl walks resolutely up the long gravel lane. The dark pink shirt with purple tinged sleeves pretends to match with the knee length shorts, of unknown color and origin. Her feet, in white shoes with purple mid calf height socks, stride with purpose up the dirt road.. arms matching the strides and tone of the stubborn walk. A light breeze teases her brown hair, threatening to add more tangles to the unruly mess of hair. On such a sunny late summer day, it may be surprising that this little girl is not climbing in trees or playing on the swing-set seen in the background. And here, is the source of her angst.
Behind the little girl, comes a vehicle.. driven slowly and cautiously, with patience following the angry young child up the lane. Eventually, the man parks the truck, gets out, and with long strides, matches the little girl's pace quickly.. "Jenny, it's time to go to school", comes a gentle and sympathetic voice from the lean man with curly black hair. "No, I'm not going!", the child replies firmly, "I hate school". Together, father and daughter continue to walk up the long farm lane.. gravel crunching under their feet, making a rhythm to add to the birds chirping. It truly is a beautiful day, the man agrees looking around the green fields and smelling the sweet air. A day when Jenny would undoubtedly be finding adventures in the many acres of land.. but, it's also a school day.
And soon, Jenny finds herself sitting in the Kindergarten classroom of a small town school, learning.. but not finished longing to be outside. A feeling that continues for many years..
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I have no idea how my father got me to school that day... it's quite possible I was carried kicking and screaming into the brick school building. What a brave man to ensure his child got an education, even though I'm sure it broke his heart to see the fight. I am So ever thankful that my parents valued education.. as well as advocated to and for us through all school years, even through bachelor and graduate levels. And, despite the general hatred I carried through most of school (mostly due to boredom and classmate drama), they instilled the value of learning and knowledge to me as well.
Entirely too many children are not as fortunate.. either to have advocates for their education or access to education. And here, I am starting to believe, is the root of a great many evils in the world... not the least of which is sex trafficking and other gender based violence. All around the world, young girls are sold.. bartered... traded.. used as a product, in a world demanding the supply. If that wasn't shocking enough, the sought after age for this disgusting market is lowering...from a typical 13-15 year old girl, to more commonly 7-10 years old.. even 3-5 years old are being caught up in the trafficking world.
I won't go further into details and statistics on this blog, leaving that for a more pointed one or paper.. but please, check out the statistics... be shocked, be horrified, and realize how prevalent it is in the world, not just in third world countries.
A few years ago I started to follow Nicholas Kristoff in his writings for New York Times, finding him to be an interesting human interest writer. In so doing, I came across his book Half the Sky, a bold and heart wrenching book which speaks out against sex trafficking. Since that time, documentaries and other materials have been created to bring light to the horrific issue. The solution Kristoff and his team present to the issue, as well as many public health issues, is empowering children (and adults) to be educated..
(Please take time, in honor of children stuck in horrific situations, to view the issues and learn... see the link for more information on the movement: http://www.halftheskymovement.org/pages/about-half-the-sky-movement).
Formal education, learning reading, writing and arithmetic, certainly will not stop all the ills of the world.. but the very essence of education is teaching, learning, expanding your mind to accept new knowledge and ideals. It is not confined to school room, or trained teachers, or particular degrees. But the institution of school provides safety, a place where children may be free and safe, to learn and grow and develop into adults that will change the world.
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